


Let's Not Think

by DanaWPatterson



Category: Blindspot (TV)
Genre: F/M, Lots of Sex, Post 3x21, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaWPatterson/pseuds/DanaWPatterson
Summary: Tasha's been fired from the CIA. Meg gave Reade the ring back. They rebound together. Hard.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, Zapatterson fans. Rapata fans, this one is for you. It's quick and dirty (pun intended?) and contains little plot. We pick up right at the end of 3x21. Go grab yourself a glass of water now ;-) - DWP

Tasha always wondered what it was like to walk into a room and know that everyone had just been talking about you. She didn't have to wonder anymore. There was no doubt that she'd just been the topic of conversation as she pushed open the door to the lab. She put a weak smile on her face.  

"Does anybody know how to file for unemployment?" she asked, trying to make light of the situation. "I just got fired. Keaton said the CIA couldn't trust me anymore." 

Jane crossed her arms and snorted derisively. "That's rich coming from them."  

"I believe you. We believe you," Reade insisted, shaking his head at the situation. "You wouldn't have taken that phone unless Keaton ordered you to."  

"They got caught, alright?" Weller said. "So now they're throwing you under the bus."   

"We'll figure this out," Jane agreed.  

"You know," Rich began, "I know a great lawyer if you speak conversational Latvian."  

Tasha was flattered that her friends and former teammates were all coming so quickly to her defense. She'd been sure that if there was any group that would distrust her, it would be them. 

"Guys, it's done," she said, her voice surprisingly calm and even. "You have me on tape. It's my word against the CIA. I can't fight that. And even if I did, I'd still be out a job." 

"So come back to the FBI," Patterson suggested.  

Tasha didn't even consider it.  

"I can't. Think about it," she said. "Guys, I am poison. Nobody is gonna trust you if you're working with me."  

Weller shook his head. He didn't want to hear this. "Let us worry about that."  

"No," Tasha said curtly, shutting down any further conversation. "I'm out of moves. I have to figure it out on my own." 

Tasha didn't wait for any more arguments. She couldn’t be in the room any longer. They were all being so supportive, and she didn't want them to see her fall apart. She turned quickly and walked out of the lab before she could break down. 

Reade found Tasha in the locker room a few minutes later. He'd watched dumbfounded with the rest of the team as she'd put on her "it's okay" face and walked out of the lab. Seeing her sitting on the bench in front of her locker, however, it was obvious she wasn't okay. Tears rolled down her face as she stared vacantly into space.  

"You can't leave," Reade said as he entered. 

Tasha got to her feet and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't stay." 

"Why not? Why are you giving up?" 

"I'm on a path, Reade, and I can't go back. And I can't take you guys with me, so please don't make this harder than it is and let me go," Tasha explained. She was near tears again. 

Reade shook his head and pulled her towards him.  

"No. Not this time," he said. And then he was kissing her.  

Tasha resisted for a moment, reeling from the shock of Reade kissing her so forcefully. And then she let go. Her hands flew to his face and neck, caressing a spot at his nape, and she kissed him back hungrily.  

When he pulled away finally, Tasha laughed slightly and shook her head.  

"You're rebounding from Meg. I just got fired from the CIA," she said. "There are a million reasons why we shouldn't do this right now."  

"Look, if you think about anything long enough you'll find a reason not to do it. Whatever it is between us..." he paused.  "I'm tired of thinking. 

Tasha gave a faint smile.  

"I can't." 

She didn't pick up the items from her locker, and she didn't give Reade a chance for further discussion. She brushed passed him and out of the door and out of the office. 

*** 

Reade was alone in his kitchen drinking a beer. He couldn't stop thinking about Tasha. They'd been friends since she'd come to the FBI and, yeah, they'd had their rocky patches but she was his best friend. He wanted to help her.  He wanted to solve all her problems. More importantly, he wanted to finish that kiss they'd started in the locker room. He'd been stunned when she'd said no and walked away.  

He took another pull from his beer and sighed. Maybe Tasha had been right. Maybe he was using her as a rebound from Meg. But he didn't think so. He didn't want to think that.  

A knock on the door brought him from his thoughts and he set his beer back down. He opened the door and froze. 

"Tasha?" 

"Let's not think about it," she said and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him as close as she could. 

Reade kissed her back and pulled her inside his apartment, closing the door without breaking their kiss. Tasha walked them further into the room as she frantically unbuttoned first her shirt then his. There was entirely too much fabric between them and way too many buttons to contend with. Reade threw Tasha's blouse on the floor and let his shirt fall away, leaving her in just a bra and him in his undershirt. He scooped Tasha up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, deepening their kiss and letting his tongue roam the inside of her mouth. Tasha ground herself against him as he carried her to the couch.  

She grabbed for the collar of Reade's undershirt and pulled him onto the couch with her, shifting so that she was above him and straddling his legs. Tasha felt the hard length of him between her legs, and she wiggled on his lap, enjoying the loud moan that escaped his lips. She kissed him again as he leaned back on the couch, surrendering control to Tasha.  

She ran her hands under the thin white tank top, feeling the hard edges of Reade's abs. She lifted the shirt upwards and he raised his arms, allowing her to remove the undershirt. Tasha flung the garment away and it landed on a nearby table lamp, dimming the room's lighting. She'd seen Reade in less clothes before but something about seeing him squirming beneath her touch in such a vulnerable position sent a wave of lust through her body. She kissed Reade hard on the lips again and pulled away when he leaned forward to try continuing the kiss. She laid an index finger over his lips and shook her head. She leaned down and licked his ear, kissing his jawline before bringing her lips to his chest. She licked around his left nipple, feeling it pebble beneath her tongue and then turned her attention to the right nipple.   

Reade lifted his hips and pressed himself into Tasha's core, and she stopped kissing and licking.  

"Ed," she moaned, throwing her head back. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs, and the pressure and friction he was applying was driving her crazy. If they continued like this, she wasn't sure how long either of them would last. She lifted her hips up and away from him and shook her head again as she scooted down his legs, trailing her tongue down his chest and abs. She pressed a palm over him and felt the heat there. He groaned her name loudly and bucked his hips into her hand.  

Tasha's fingers found the button of Reade's pants and she released it easily. She slid her hand inside, pushing the zipper down as she wrapped her hand around him and squeezed lightly. He groaned again and pushed himself into Tasha's touch.  

Reade's body was on fire and he was feeling light-headed. He'd loved Tasha for a long time and seeing her straddling his body while grasping him was almost too much. He pumped into her hand, silently begging her to continue.  

Tasha gave a devilish smile and reached behind herself to unclasp her bra. It fell free and Reade reached up and slid the straps down her arms, revealing her breasts and hard nipples. He grabbed her roughly around the waist and dragged her back up his body. He kissed her again, letting his hands roam over her naked chest, fingers running over the ridges of her scars. He cupped her breasts and then pulled her body down to his lips, drawing her right breast into his mouth. She groaned and put her hands on the back of his head, holding him to her as he suckled. Reade fumbled with Tasha's jeans and shoved them down her legs. He slid his hand into her panties and found the sensitive bud there and rubbed, eliciting a loud moan as she pushed back against his hand.  

Reade grinned at her reaction and flipped her onto her back, switching their positions. He kissed her again and trailed his lips and tongue down Tasha's neck. He ran the pad of his thumb over one of her nipples, relishing in the small gasp that escaped from Tasha. He kissed his way down her stomach, taking time to run his tongue over a small scar just below her ribs.  He finished removing her jeans and panties and pushed her legs apart.  

He continued kissing his way to the apex of her thighs. He darted his tongue out and licked the inside of each thigh. Reade buried his nose in her center and breathed deep. Her arousal was intoxicating. Tasha felt his goatee brush against her core and she pushed herself up into his face. That was all the invitation Reade needed. He pushed her legs further apart and parted her folds with a long lick with the flat of his tongue.  

Tasha groaned at the contact and lifted her hips up. Reade pulled her closer to him and probed her core with his tongue, fucking her with it as he rolled her clit between two fingers. Without warning he removed his tongue. He dove in deep with two fingers and wiggled them inside her, watching as she arched her back and thrust into his hand greedily. He licked delicately at her sensitive bundle of nerves before adding a third finger to his thrusts and nipping at her clit.  

Tasha almost sat up straight. The sensation was too much, and she felt herself on the verge of coming undone. She reached a hand down and pushed Reade away. In one swift move, she switched their positions again and before Reade could realize what had happened, he was on his back again with Tasha above him. She grasped his length and pumped it a few times, squeezing lightly. She caught his gaze and held eye contact as she licked her lips slowly and took him in her mouth.  

"Oh, Tash," Reade moaned, barely able to get the words out. He watched her lick up and down the shaft, running her tongue along the vein on the sensitive underside before taking him in her mouth again. She maintained her eye contact as she let the head push her cheek out obscenely.  

He let his head drop back onto the couch as Tasha cupped his balls and ran her nails lightly over them. He felt the warmth of her mouth as she sucked one and then the other into her mouth, releasing each with a loud pop as she switched between them. He wouldn't last much longer if she continued like this. 

Reade captured Tasha's face with both of his hands and gently guided her back up to his face. He kissed her again, tasting himself on her tongue.  

"Do you have something?" Tasha gasped in between kisses. Like Reade, she wouldn't last much longer either. The deep throb between her legs was too much and she was feeling dizzy.  

Instead of responding, Reade picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his arousal pressing against her. He kissed her again and set her on the bed, going to the bedside table and removing a condom from a box. Reade tore the package open and fitted himself with the contraceptive. Tasha pulled him onto the bed and pushed him onto his back. She straddled him again, grabbing his length as she positioned herself above him. Reade stopped her.  

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. He prayed she wouldn't change her mind now but there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that this could ruin their friendship. If they hadn't done so already. 

She kissed him again. 

"If you think about anything long enough you'll find a reason not to do it," she said, echoing his earlier words back at him. "I'm tired of thinking." 

She let herself drop down onto him, feeling his thickness fill her completely, and she let out the kind of loud moan she'd only ever heard in porn before.  

"Oh my god," she breathed. She stilled for a moment, allowing herself adjust to his size, and Reade bucked his hips up into her. Tasha rested her hands on his chest and rose back up until only his head was still inside of her. She dropped back down again and started to ride him. 

Reade gripped her hips as she rode, meeting her thrust for thrust. Tasha was certain she'd have finger-sized bruises there later. She traced her hands down Reade's chest, coming to a stop at the place where they were joined together. She found her clit and began rubbing urgently. Tasha wanted to reach her climax as he reached his. The urgency in Reade's thrusts told her that he wouldn't last much more.  

They continued moving together, as Tasha rotated her hips, changing her angle until she felt Reade's body tense.  He shuddered and thrust into her more sharply. She clenched down on him and then they were falling together over the cliff together.  

Tasha leaned forward onto Reade's chest as they came down. She could hear his heart thudding in his chest, and she thought she could get used to that. They were both slick with sweat from their exertions and panting. Reade wrapped a protective arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Tasha looked up at him and kissed him passionately on the lips.  

"I'm glad we stopped thinking," she said.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just for a fleeting moment, but Tasha didn't know where she was. She was in bed, but it wasn't her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on writing a chapter two on this but Claudiapsmc asked me what I imagined the morning after might be like. It was an interesting idea so, challenge accepted. I'm always up for requests if I think I can do the scenario some justice so big thanks to Claudiapsmc for the spark on this one. I hope you guys enjoy it. - DWP

It was just for a fleeting moment, but Tasha didn't know where she was. She was in bed, but it wasn't her own. Sheets were twisted around her body, trapping her legs. A comforter hung partially over her upper body and draped haphazardly onto the floor. For the second time in two days, she felt like someone was watching her. She squeezed her eyes closed tightly against the invading sunlight from a window before opening them again. Reade was sitting in a nearby chair, watching her as she slept. Tasha noticed he was dressed in his standard suit, vest, and tie. She wondered what time it was and how long she'd been asleep.  

"You're staring at me," she said. Her voice was still thick with sleep. She yawned and stretched. Reade didn't reply. "Reade?"  

Tasha struggled to sit up and prop herself up on the pillows, the comforter falling away to reveal her bare chest, but the sheet kept her legs prisoner. Reade rose from the chair and sat on the bed alongside her. He untwisted the sheet for her wordlessly.  

"What?" Tasha was unnerved by his intent gaze and silence.  

Reade brushed a piece of hair away from her face, leaned forward and kissed her passionately. The kiss lacked the animalistic urgency of the kiss she'd greeted him with the previous night. That raw desire was now replaced with a tenderness that had been missing from their earlier activities.  

"I was just thinking I like you waking up in my bed," he said finally. "You're beautiful." 

Tasha wrapped a hand around Reade's neck and pulled him back for another kiss. She'd been afraid that they made things weird, but she felt oddly relaxed and comfortable. Perhaps for once not thinking would work out for her. She let her free hand roam down the lapels of Reade's suit. 

"You're dressed already," she said, tugging lightly on his tie. "What time is it?" 

Reade checked his watch. "Almost 8," he said, reluctantly getting off the bed. He picked up a gym bag beside the chair he'd been sitting in and set it down next to Tasha. "I ran by your place this morning and picked up some stuff for you. I figured you wouldn't want to head in this morning wearing what you had on yesterday." 

"I don't work there anymore, Reade," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation and sadness. "Wait. How'd you even get in?" 

Reade rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, Tash," he said. "A key behind a loose piece of door molding? Give me a break. You're lucky I'm the only one who broke in." 

"What? Where would you like me to leave a spare key?" 

"With a neighbor maybe?" He thought for a moment. "Or you could leave one here." 

Tasha smiled at this. She pushed her hair behind an ear. "Why? You think I’m going to be here a lot?" 

"That'd be nice," he said. He snuck a glance at his watch. "If we're going to the office, we've got to get moving." 

The smile fell from Tasha's face. "Wow, Reade. You really know how to kill a mood, huh?” she said. “You forget, I was fired." 

Reade sat back down on the bed and sighed. "So what?” he said. She began to protest, and he cut her off. "No, really, so? Who cares what Keaton says? The guy's a snake. He threw you under the bus when it looked like he might be in trouble. Patterson's right. Come back to the FBI. You haven't even emptied out your locker yet. You already have a desk, and you know all your coworkers. You even like some of them." 

"Reade —" 

"No," Reade said, putting a hand on hers. "Come back. At least until we wrap this case. You know more about this case than anyone else we could bring in.”

“But Keaton—”

“Isn’t the assistant director of the FBI field office,” Reade finished. “I am. And I want you back on the team.”

***

Tasha stepped out of Reade's bathroom. He'd done a surprisingly good job selecting a suit from the closet in her apartment. He'd even grabbed her make-up case from her bathroom counter. 

"Oh my god," she said, as she walked into the living room. "Your shower head is amazing. I could have spent all morning in there."

Reade handed her a paper coffee cup from the Starbucks down the block. "Compared to that janky ass thing you have? Yeah, it's nice. It actually throws hot water."

Tasha sipped the coffee. Reade had picked coffee up for her dozens of times before and she shouldn't have been surprised that it was exactly right but it, too, was a nice surprise. 

"Look at you, all domestic," she said, giving him a not so subtle once over. "You got my clothes and it all matches, my makeup case, my coffee. And you have the best shower ever. That's really hot. I might have to keep you."

"Yeah?" Reade said, temporarily forgetting the time and setting his own coffee cup back down. He kissed her hungrily and backed her into the counter.

Tasha pushed him back gently. "Easy there. You're not so worried about the time anymore? You were the one who wanted to go to work," she reminded him. 

***

Reade walked off the elevator. He'd received a text from Weller on his way to the office and had agreed to meet him in the gym for a quick sparring workout before the morning briefing. He passed Patterson carrying a thick stack of file folders on her way to the elevator and they exchanged greetings. Tasha was waiting for the elevator's doors to close again when Patterson stepped inside and smiled broadly.

"You're back! You  _are_  back? I mean, you're not here just to clean out your locker, right?" She observed Tasha's suit. "You look like you're back."

 Tasha returned her friend's smile. "I'm back. For now. Reade asked me to help finish up the case," she explained. 

"That's great, Tash! Are you in the field or..."

Tasha took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. "We haven't talked about it yet. It just happened."

Patterson didn't respond. She was too busy staring at Tasha's coffee cup. 

"What?" Tasha asked. She was getting tired of people staring at her. 

"Oh. My. God," Patterson said, drawing the words out.

"What? Patterson? What is it?" Tasha asked again, looking down at herself trying to figure out what Patterson was gawking at. 

The blonde snatched the coffee cup from Tasha's hand and spun it around to show her.  _Edgar_  was scrawled across the cup in black marker. 

"Reade got my coffee this morning," she said simply. 

"'It just happened' and your coffee cup says Edgar," Patterson said, putting the pieces together. 

"So?"

Patterson put a hand on Tasha's face and turned it to the right. She touched a slight bruising on the other woman's neck that Tasha hadn't concealed well. 

"You slept with Reade!" she yelled as the elevator door opened again.

"Shhhhhh!" Tasha hissed, taking her cup back as they stepped off the elevator and into SIOC. She grabbed Patterson's arm and guided her into the locker room. 

Patterson's eyes were dancing with excitement. 

"This is huge," she said. "You and Reade! What happened?"

Tasha clamped a hand over the blonde's mouth and looked around. "First of all, you have to promise to be  _quiet_ ," she said.  "Promise?" Patterson nodded enthusiastically and Tasha removed her hand. "I slept with Reade."

Patterson sat down with a thud on one of the benches. "Holy cow," she said. "This is big."

"It's not that big," Tasha said, sitting down. "Is it?"

"It's you and Reade," Patterson explained. "Of course it's big. What happened?"

Tasha relayed her conversation with Reade in the locker room after Keaton had fired her and how he'd kissed her and told her she need to stop thinking and how she'd said no only to turn up on his doorstep later. 

"I told him I was tired of thinking and then..." she trailed off.

"It's almost romantic in a dirty movie kind of way," Patterson said. 

"It's not like that," Tasha insisted. 

Patterson nodded. "Okay, sure. So, what? Are you guys Reade and Zapata? Rapata even?"

Tasha cringed. "Don't do that. I hate that," she said. "And I don't know. Maybe."

"Edsha?" Patterson ventured. "No, that's awful. Tadger?"

 ***

Weller and Reade were the last to arrive in SIOC. Patterson, Jane, Rich, and Tasha were already waiting. They'd missed the brief flurry of excitement from Rich and Jane upon seeing Tasha entering the room with Patterson. 

"Thanks for joining us today, boys," Patterson said. 

"Sorry," Reade apologized. "We lost track of time. What have you got?"

"That's a great question," Patterson replied, smiling widely at Reade before adopting a mock serious tone. "First of all, I need to introduce everyone to a new team member this morning. Natasha Zapata comes to us from a gig at the CIA. Previously, she was NYPD and FBI. I hope you'll all give a warm welcome back to Agent Zapata."

"Guys," Tasha said, raising her voice to be heard over their applause. "It's only temporary. I'm here to help wrap the case. After that, I don't know."

"Boo this guy!" Rich jeered, cupping his hands around his mouth.  

"Okay, okay," Patterson interrupted. "Now, serious stuff. Roman must have ended his program overload. The false tattoo hits have all gone silent. We got a real hit last night on the platonic solid tattoo. It decrypts to a website that has always been blank. Until now. A video was uploaded to it last night."

She pushed play on the video and Roman's face filled the screen. 

"'Moreover, from being so long in twilight or darkness, his eyes had acquired the faculty of distinguishing objects in the night, common to the hyena and the wolf.'," Roman said on screen.  "I think it's time we finish what we started. One last game, sis. Winner take all."

"Well, that sounds scary," Rich said. 

Patterson switched the displays and pulled up a highlighted block of text.

"It's from the  _Count of Monte Cristo_  by Alexandre Dumas," she said.

"Is that the guy who invented that sandwich?" Rich asked. "Because that is delicious."

Patterson ignored him. 

"It's French literature. This line is from Chapter 22: The Smugglers," she continued. "I don't know if you guys remember high school English but, in this chapter, Edmond smuggles himself aboard a ship and travels to the island of Monte Cristo. He adopts a disguise that he says even his best friend, if he had any left, couldn't recognize him. He describes his travel as going to the first 'horizon of his youth.'"'

Weller shook his head. "So, he wants us to meet him somewhere? Where?"

Jane closed her eyes. She understood. 

"He wants us to go back to the beginning," she said. 

"Times Square?" Weller asked. "Italy?"

"No, not our beginning," Jane corrected. "Roman's and my beginning. In South Africa."

Tasha set her coffee cup down on a nearby desk and stepped closer to the monitor to read the passage Patterson had highlighted from  _The Count of Monte Cristo_. Rich saw it then and his mouth fell open. He looked from Tasha to Reade and back to Tasha. Patterson caught the expression on his face and shot him her sternest look. She walked over to him quickly and put a hand on his arm and squeezed. Rich caught her meaning immediately and closed his mouth. 

"So, does this mean we're going to South Africa?" Reade asked. 

"I am," Jane said. "If we want this to end, I have to."


End file.
